to school!

The kids have adjusted well back to early bedtimes; early rising. DD1 loves her new high school routine. DD2 likes her new middle school and the two smaller ones love their school and new teachers.

The only thing which will take a few weeks for me to adjust to is the new schedules. I have one that leaves the house at 6:30, two at 7:30 and one at 8:30. It seems like a three hour process to get them out the door!

I am volunteering in my son's class this year on Fridays. I went today for about three hours. His teacher is very nice, has tons of stuff for me to do so I am happy to help her out.

JUst thought I would share. I can't wait to sleep in tomorrow!

By Kim on Friday, August 5, 2005 - 07:47 pm:

Us too! :o) All of mine leave around the same time but the bus for the 2nd and 6th graders comes at 6:30 AM!!! Kayla hardly EVER makes the bus. She made it the first two days of school and then the novelty wore off. Its hard for me to remember that they need water bottles also.....that's still new for me as it wouldn't be allowed up north.

I wish I could volunteer for their schools Annie! I have even thought about becoming a TA but couldn't swing the summers off.

I can't wait to sleep in either, but I usually wake up at the same tmie I get up for work. Kayla still takes a nap on the weekend though, so it works out ok.


Keep the beach in mind. We ususally go until November...I don't think we are acclimated yet!

By Trina~moderator on Friday, August 5, 2005 - 08:02 pm:

Good gosh, my kids don't go back until Sept. 1st. They just got out the end of June. LOL! We're right in the middle of summer vacation.

I always volunteer but my kids will be in two different schools this year so I'm not sure how it's going to work out.

Kim, We're in CT and the kids always bring a water bottle to school.

By Kim on Saturday, August 6, 2005 - 10:02 am:

Trina, the kids usually get out in the beginning of May I think and then go back somehwere in the beginning of August. But we had to cut some holidays this year and start back so early because of all the time missed from hurricane Ivan. I don't think some people realize how bad it was! And then Dennis came through and we usually spend the last couple of weeks bbefore school going to the beach. But it was messed up again and closed for a while. :o(

In IL we also went back in the beginning of September. In IL it usually wasn't hot enough for us to need a water bottle.

By Pamt on Saturday, August 6, 2005 - 10:17 am:

My kids start back on August 15. We're going school shopping on Monday and we've started getting down the going to bed routine already. Summer has just FLOWN by!!! My kids get out of school the last week of May nad we have long breaks for Christmas, plus a week for Thanksgiving, a week for winter break, spring break, and some other random time off as well.

By Dawnk777 on Saturday, August 6, 2005 - 11:31 pm:

Your kids have to be ON a bus, by 6:30am? Wow! I'm just getting my kids UP around 6:30am. Mine start back September 1st. Just 2 days off for Thanksgiving, a little over a week around Christmas, and just a week for spring break.

By Karen~moderator on Sunday, August 7, 2005 - 10:10 am:

Mine are older now, but just wanted to put my two cents in:

Water bottles: They are not allowed at all in our schools - the school board stated it was a drug/alcohol risk. Can't even send SEALED bottles of water with the kids!

Bus schedules: All through Jr. high and high school, mine had to catch the bus at around 6:40 every morning, school started at 7:15 and was out @ 2:20 for those grades.

And, as Pamt posted, around here school starts mid-August, is out the end of May, but holidays are normally:

Thanksgiving holidays - one week
Christmas holidays - two weeks
Easter break - one week plus one day
Mardi Gras holidays - one week
PLUS several random holidays throughout the school year.
AND, whatever days school has to close due to hurricanes, etc.

By Colette on Sunday, August 7, 2005 - 10:20 am:

We can't bring water bottles to middle school or high school and the kids can't wear hooded sweatshirts in the middle school. This year ds and dd will be on the bus by 6:50a and my younger dd will be driven to school around 8:15a. We go back the 30th (I think). We get 1/2 week at Thanksgiving, about 2 weeks at Christmas (it varies, depends on which day is the 25th), a week in Feb, a week in April and we get out early to mid June depending on snow days. This year they had to go until 6/20.

By Marcia on Sunday, August 7, 2005 - 11:05 am:

My kids have another month off, and I'm thrilled! We're having an amazing summer!!

I can't believe the water bottle thing! Hydration is so important, and juice and pop doesn't cut it. Our schools even sell water bottles instead of sugary drinks. They keep them right on their desks.

By Annie2 on Sunday, August 7, 2005 - 04:25 pm:

My high schooler and my ds in elem take a water bottle to school. They each drink the entire thing.
My middleschooler can't take a backpack to school (not even a clear one!) nor do they have lockers. (she a PE locker) so she has to carry whatever she takes all day. She does have a set of school books at the house so carrying those isn't a problem.

By Dawnk777 on Sunday, August 7, 2005 - 05:05 pm:

No backpacks in classrooms. Hooded sweatshirts are okay. No bellies showing, no drugs or alcohol on your shirt.

They can buy juice at school and take that to class, so probably water would be okay.

Optimally, we should leave the house for school at 7:20, to drop both kids off. Middle school is M-T-Th-Fr 7:43 to 2:45pm. Wednesdays out at 1:55pm (teacher meetings)

High school starts at 8:05am and goes until 3:05pm. Wednesdays start at 8:15 (so club meetings can happen before school) and gets out at 2:28, so teachers can have meetings.

Yes, DH and I occasionally forget it's Wednesday, too! We take the kids to school and pick them up. They would have to take a city bus and it's expensive, so we just take them. At the middle school/high school level, you have to be 4 miles away to get a school bus. We are 3.8 miles from the high school and about 2.5 miles from the middle school.

By Kim on Sunday, August 7, 2005 - 05:12 pm:

Annie, the backpack thing is so annoying, isn't it? It is great that they send home a set of books though....then the kids cannot say they forgot it! They are allowing Kyle a backpack this year in 6th, but it has to be small enough to fit in the basket under the desk. I was pretty sure when Kris was in middle that the rule was no bags period. Bad kids are going to bring things they shouldn't whether they have a backpack or not!!! Funny thing is that the HS lets you bring bags!


How funny Karen that kids get time off at Mardi Gras!

Yes, Dawn, they have to be on at 6:35 because we are out of district. Then they go back and pick up more kids on their way into town. It takes them an hour! But I want Kayla to get used to it because I am not always going to work right across the street from her school! It takes her an hour just to get out of the bed!

Marcia, I WISH we had another month left. The beach is finally open again and we could spend a few more carefree days by the water. Ah well, maybe next year! If they haven't gone to all year school by then!

By Pamt on Sunday, August 7, 2005 - 07:28 pm:

Yeah, we get off a week at Mardi Gras too. It's funny because the Catholic schools call it Mardi Gras break and the Protestant schools call it winter break, but it's always the same whole week of Mardi Gras--LOL. All of the public schools here and almost all of the private schools have uniforms. As a kid I would hate it, but as a mom I love it!! We're going through uniforms tomorrow to make sure they all fit. My kids can bring water bottles and are encouraged to do so. My oldest will be in middle school and goes from 7:20 (ack!) to 2:20. My 3rd grader will go from 7:50-2:50. They go to the same K-12 school, but start at different times due to traffic congestion. 1/3 of all kids in BR go to private school and all of the various public/private schools start at different time. School rush hour is from 7-9 am and 2-4 pm with all of the different schools starting and stopping at different times. It's crazy!